Ok, full disclosure, I am not a scientist. I know I could be wrong. But, over the last year I have really been looking for more than just want the general dogmas say. First thing, I am not sure of any science as gospel. They are not always right or accurate. But with that said I made kind of an interesting discovery that I wanted to put out there and see what you guys think,,, and when I say that, just try to have an open mind. If you love your dairy don't be threatened... you can still have calcium, you just have to make sure you get the nutrients that will counteract the problem.

I have recently had a bad problem with too much calcium both in myself and my cat. My calcium is normal but on the high side. And my cat has slight hypercalcima. But all other tests come back normal (so the cat or myself don't have any sort of glandular problem) What I believe it is -- my tap water is just full of calcium (hard water). Over the years I have had -- plantar fasictis, and joint pain and I drank my tap.

One day, while tooling around on the net... someone suggested that calcium -- too much or not properly absorbed can cause problems in the body. There was a long list but one of them was -- insulin resistance. This got my attention as I have never heard it before. That calcium -- alone - sitting out in the blood stream and not getting where it needs to go -- blocks / or interferes with cellular receptors for insulin. So, you know how insulin resistance is basically the cell no longer responding to the proper dose of insulin -- so your body has to release more? Um, what if that is because of too much / unabsorbed calcium blocking the insulin receptors in the cell?

Currently the insulin resistance story suggests now for "some reason" your cells stop responding to normal insulin. They don't really have a reason -- they think it is from too much sugar / over use. But what if there is a solid reason? What if your cells aren't broken... but are just clogged up.

Look, it sort of makes sense. We know that both vitamin D and Magnesium help the body to get calcium in the right places. And both Vitamin D and Magnesium have been shown to reduce insulin resistance. Same with vitamin K2. Vitamin D3 has been shown in several studies now to affect weight loss (ie, you lose more weight the higher your blood levels).

In point of fact there are several studies that hint at this... that show higher levels of calcium can interfere with glucose metabolism. I would link them but my internet is down today and I am using my iphone and so I barely can get this off. But a google search could likely bring it up for you. Google calcium and impaired glucose metabolism.

The moment I heard it, it was one of those -- AH HA! Moments. My cat is a big fatty and I don't give him that much to eat. Several blogger friends are clearly insulin resistant (they eat nothing and still don't lose weight) and have plantar fascitis -- more commonly known as a heel spur (calcium deposit on the heel). Obesity is associated with insulin resistance but you could have another theory on that. Vitamin D3 lives in fat cells. So the fatter you are, the less Vitamin D3 you actually get. So when I was 214 lbs... I needed 4000 IU to maintain healthy blood level. Now, I only need 1000 IU. So if a person who is 200 lbs is not supplementing with enough vitamin D, the calcium is not being put in the right place.

In the modern american diet there is a lot of calcium but there may not be a ton of Vitamin D3, Magnesium (which is also hard to absorb) and or K2 (found mostly in butter and natto). So the body is swimming with calcium which is eventually forced out of the body as waste. Humn... is that why so many people have kidney stones?

Why is diabetes an epidemic only in the last say 20 years? Surely since 2002 or so Atkins changed the way people eat to be aware of eating too much sugar... and yet... the problem continues -- some say, worse than ever. Can it really be that the mass population is that stupid or, are they stuffing themselves full of calcium supplements, dairy, ice cream etc, thinking they are doing the body good, and getting very little Vitamin D, Magnesium, or other minerals / nutrients that allow the calcium to go to where it needs to be. Resulting in 80% of the population being insulin resistant with maybe 40% being diabetic?

So, if you think this is true, the solutions happens to be an easy one, and one that is good for you no matter what. Supplement with nutrients / that will allow the calcium to absorb into your bones and not just float around in the blood stream. Vitamin D3, Magnesium, K2, etc.

There have been no large definitive studies on this. Since the body secretes excess calcium, I don't believe a word of this. We don't get fat from calcium, we get fat from eating the wrong foods and portion sizes.

The body works in ways we just dont know yet especially when we think about weight loss. There are a bunch of theories about the obesity epidemic and for me the one thats making sense right now is the hormonal issue. That what we eat affects our hormones and that directly effects our metabolism and how stuff is stored and so on. Fructose and Sucrose I think is a good example of this they are used by the body differently even though they are carbohydrates. Calcium is involved in the hormonal processes too:http://drlwilson.com/Articles/calcium.htm
with thyroid hormones and insulin resistance.
Im not convinced that there is only one factor involved like if you ONLY reduced X youll lose weight and never have a weight issue. I think that all these factors play together to effect your body weight and I think that you might be onto something. Calcium/Magnesium/Potassium all kind of interact too, so changing one has kind of a waterfall effect on the others too and that can effect other processes.
I have for a long time been of the mindset that its just calories in vs calories out. And maybe simplistically this is true because if you reduce calories and do more stuff you'll lose weight. The question is what do you reduce and what effect does that have on you. Like if you say OK Im gonna eat 1200 calories a day of fish, veggies and eggs. Youll lose weight but is it ALL because of the reduced calories or there a big effect by reducing the carbs and sugars in your diet? If you say OK 1200 calories of dairy and veggies only and you lose weight, is that cause of the calorie reduction or are there other factors involved, like the increased milk proteins effect a process in your body. This is the state of research today and this is where things get complicated cause this is when the Dairy Board and Egg Board and all these commercial guys get involved with studies they fund to prove that their part of your diet gives you maximum benefits. It wouldnt surprise me if Calcium has a role in weight loss.
Thanks for the post!

Maybe I am being a huge bubble-buster, but it seems there are an awful lot of people who have become fat through no fault of their own... Must be hormonal imbalance. Calcium. Insulin. Climate. Genetics. Too much exercise. (Seriously) Wheat, dairy, soy, gluten, grains, veggies, fruits, carbs, protein, fats and any combination of those. Air. Climate change. Industrial Revolution. You get the idea...

It's January and I'm stoked to see new faces on here, all trying to get healthy! That is AWESOME. But can we all cut the you-know-what and be honest with ourselves?? I don't have any studies to quote, but I have been around here long enough to see a continual pattern of excuses. The most successful seem to not be those who are "perfect" dieters, but those who can see why they overeat, why they were fat in the first place, and how to pick themselves up after inevitable slip-ups.

Go to your doctor. Run all the tests. That is a great place to start. I have PCOS, diabetes insipidus, osteoarthritis, chronic migraines and a sleep disorder. I lost the weight despite these things, because they REALLY WEREN'T THE MAJORITY OF THE PROBLEM.

Im not convinced that there is only one factor involved like if you ONLY reduced X youll lose weight and never have a weight issue. I think that all these factors play together to effect your body weight and I think that you might be onto something.

Ok well let me be clear - I agree, this is just one of many factors. But I wanted to grab headlines so it may have come off that way. Thank you Miss Pixie... it is really like talking to the dark ages sometimes.

Conclusion/interpretation
Our data support the notion that endogenous calcium may be involved early in the development of diabetes and that this effect is mediated mainly through effects on insulin sensitivity rather than defective insulin secretion. Dietary intake of calcium does not seem to influence insulin sensitivity.

True. T be fair, this was just the post that I vented on, not really the topic. Obviously AnnRue did something right to lose the weight. I just get so freaky when new theories come t that seem to make it even easier for some people to grab onto and use for an excuse. I did not think the OP falls into that category.

True. T be fair, this was just the post that I vented on, not really the topic. Obviously AnnRue did something right to lose the weight.

Thanks Chickie. And honestly, if you could hear me ranting about weight loss excuses.... but that is for another thread.

Quote:

correct me if Im wrong is that calcium may play a role in processing food correctly and even tho it hasnt been studied much and your not a scientist I think its exciting and maybe this is something a person might wanna look into.

Yes basically that improperly used calcium may play a role in making the insulin resistance problem worse that it otherwise would be. So take a hypo... you never eat sugar, you have a great diet.... but, you eat only calcium and have no other nutrients that make sure calcium gets to where it is supposed to be (yes this could be magnesium, vitamin D, K2, sillica, boron, prosperous, potassium etc). The calcium lingers in your system and interferes with insulin receptors on the cell. Making it so that your not as insulin sensitive as you otherwise would be. Your body needs to release double the insulin to dispose of any sugar / carbs that you do eat. This excess insulin -- as insulin does - tends to hold on to calories thus, you think you ate 1200 calories for the day but, with the influence of calcium / insulin resistance, you actually got 1340 cals. But you have no earthly idea why you would be insulin resistant. After all, you drink water, you eat spinach, you don't eat candy. You take a multivitamin. But your multi vitamin has no trace elements in it and very little Vitamin d. But it does have 1200 mg of calcium.

Basically I don't know if I can buy the whole... glutton for sugar is making us insulin resistant anymore. In SOME senses.. yes. Lets say 50% of the population still eats like pigs and drinks coke. But there are entire movements out there now, low carb, paleo, that have totally reversed their eating. And even the not so devoted have likely cut out the soda, and cut back on the candy and the problem is really bad still.

So it seems to me that this is just another reason for people to be sure that they do get all the trace minerals they need to insure strong bones, because just taking calcium not only doesn't do that, but, also may cause hazards in the body.

I don't know about all the other scientific stuff, but I've had plantar fasciitis, and it hurts. I got some advice on treatment by a foot Dr. It is an inflammation, of the connective tissue on the bottom of your foot. It is not caused by the heel spurs, but can actually cause the heel spurs. It's most common causes are long periods of weight bearing, (being overweight), injury or in active folks who spend a lot of time on their feet, simple overuse.

As far as achy joints, my orthopedic surgeon told me something a long time ago that made lots of sense. You have bursa sacks that cushion your joints, these are filled with fluid, but also contain small air bubbles. When the barometric pressure, makes a sudden and drastic shift, it causes a change in the air pressure in your bursa sacks, causing pain. That's why us old, arthritic folks can predict the weather!

I don't know about all the other scientific stuff, but I've had plantar fasciitis, and it hurts. I got some advice on treatment by a foot Dr. It is an inflammation, of the connective tissue on the bottom of your foot.

I have trouble really buying this "theory" these days. While inflammation could be there, I don't think it is the cause. The reason is that when I had it, i did everything they told me to on this theory and it didn't work at all. A lot of people who do what they say...to treat PF ... it doesn't work.

What did work for me ... almost immediately.. apple cider vinegar. The problem with this is that it is horrible to take.

Isn't it much more likely that the heel spur causes the inflammation of the connective tissue? So if you get rid of or reduce the heel spur (excess calcium) your connective tissue will return to normal?